Naveen plays tribal card; announces special development councils

Highlights

• Special Development Councils to be set up in nine districts
• Councils will have representation from every tribe in the district

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced setting up Tribal Special Development Councils, first of its kind in the country, for inclusive growth of the forest dwellers.

The state cabinet headed by the Chief Minister approved setting up the development councils in nine districts.

The districts are Koraput, Rayagada, Nawarangpur, Malkangiri, Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Kandhamal and Boudh.

These councils shall take up cultural, educational and economic development in harmony with the unique identity and ethos of the people – Naveen Patnaik

He said these councils will have representation from every tribe present in the district.

There are 62 tribal communities including 13 particularly vulnerable tribal groups living in the state. The tribals constitutes 22 percent of the population of the state and 10 percent of the country’s tribal population.

In a democratic system based on majority, it is our experience that many small tribal groups do not get represented directly in higher decision making fora. It is in this context that the formation of these Development Councils is significant – the Chief Minister

They will have decision making powers and the financial resources to preserve, promote and develop their unique socio-cultural identities and their economic capacities, he added.

He said about Rs.1.5 crore will be allotted to each block under these councils and a total of Rs.175.50 crores will be spent per annum, through these councils.

All the communities, irrespective of their population, would participate in the decision making body to usher their own development, he added.

Chief secretary, AP Padhi, and the development commissioner, R Balakrishnan, said that the modalities of formation of the Council would be notified later on. They, however, clarified that the Council would be inclusive and representatives of all the tribal communities would be represented in the Council.